Page 23 of Twisted
“Yeah.”
“Hmmm.”He studies me again and then extends his hand.“Walk with me.I’ll show you the garden.”
I glance back into the formal dining room, able to sense the other vampires still in there.I’m sure they know better than to eavesdrop, besides, with their better-than-human hearing, they don’t need to be close to know exactly what is being said.
We go through the kitchen and into a sunroom.Double French doors open onto a patio, and right away I can tell this garden was designed for the night.It’s a breathtakingly beautiful garden, with sparkling lights in the trees, reminding me of something from a fairytale.
Xavier holds out his arm for me to take, and we start walking down a path.The stones glow under the moonlight.This yard is straight off my Pinterest board, and it feels like I’m walking in a dream…that’s about to turn into a nightmare.
The cobblestone path leads under an archway of dark red roses that look almost black in the dim light.There’s just enough of a breeze to blow the sweet scent of the florals around us.We walk another few yards, stopping and sitting on a stone bench next to a koi pond that has a little fountain in the middle.There are lights inside the pond, giving it an ethereal glow.This place is truly enchanting.
“What is your active power?”Xavier asks.
“I can manipulate energy.”
“All witches can.What’s specific to you?”His blue eyes drill into mine, but his questions hit differently than I’m used to.He’s not asking so he can know how to counter my powers.He’s not trying to figure out how dangerous I am.He’s genuinely curious…and not scared of me.At all.He’s sitting here, in the dim moonlit garden, completely at ease while fully knowing who I am.
No one has ever done this before.
“I’m really good at reading people.I can sense their energy and just know things.Sometimes I can even hear their thoughts but not in a telepathic way.It’s like I just hear something, or just know it.It’s hard to explain.”A warm breeze blows through the yard, bringing with it the sweet scent of lilacs.My hair dances across my face and he reaches out, not hesitating as he pushes it back over my shoulder.His fingers are cool to the touch, and I swear I feel an electric spark when his skin meets mine.
“It’s a shame no one has cultivated your powers in the past.That can change here, you know.”
“Why?”I ask, resisting the urge to lean up against him and see if the rest of his body is as cool as his hands.It’s a curious thing, the way vampires are room temperature.They look so alive when they’re up and moving.You have to watch for the little things that give it away, like the lack of breathing and blinking.Lots of vampires continue to do such things, though, just out of habit.Nothing happens when they take in air; there’s no oxygen exchange, no blood cells waiting to take the O2 molecules while getting rid of carbon dioxide.Black magic is their heart, so to speak, circulating their blood throughout their body.
“It’s who you are.”
I take a moment to look at him, feeling so damn confused.He’s an attractive man—or vampire, technically.That part is obvious.But there’s a quiet elegance to him, something that had to come from his upbringing.It’s as magnetic as it is dangerous.Because men like this are controlled chaos.Their anger and wrath are earned.
And once it’s unleashed, there’s no going back.
“Vampires and witches don’t have the best history,” I start.
“No, they don’t.Witches almost killed every vampire.”
“The War of Light and Dark.”I nod and look out at the garden.“I know about that.”
“We’ve come a long way since then.Not just witches and vampires, but humanity as a whole.”
Twisting to look at him, I ask, “Do you consider yourself part of humanity?”
“No,” he replies with no hesitation.“I stopped being human nearly seven hundred years ago.”
“Did you want to be turned?”
He gets up, moving with vampire speed, and picks a flower off a tree.“There are things, my dear wife, that you do not need to know.”He tucks the flower behind my ear and I shiver from his touch.Shaking myself for dumbly feeling like his actual partner for a minute there, I take the flower and spin the stem in my hands.
“Magic is passed down through family lines.”
“I’m aware.”His full lips pull into a slight smile and suddenly it hits me that he wants his offspring to possess magic.That’s why I’m still here, still alive.
And forced to be his legal wife.
Vampires and witches teaming up would create a hella powerful couple.From what I know about the Malus family, power is something they crave.
“Witches can’t be turned into vampires,” I say carefully.
“Any human can be turned if done correctly.However, the ability to do magic isn’t retained in death.”
